Now (Re) Introducing.... THE Michael Vick

Michael Vick makes his long awaited return tonight at 7:00pm vs. the Jacksonville Jaguars. Usually the third preseason game is where the team gets to really see how they are performing as the starters usually see the bulk of the action, however, tonight will be surrounded by the site of Michael Vick on an NFL field once again. How will he fair? Check the highlights tonight to find out. Should be some exciting stuff.

Welcome back #7.

Word.

Faith...restored.

This structure will return hope and promise to a nation riddled in a recession.

And no, e, there is no word on whether or not the ride ends with you fatally being slammed into a wall.

Tom Glavine's favorite revolutionary is Benedict Arnold.

I can understand it to a degree, I really can. My plea is just that there are always exceptions to the rule. This is a giant exception. The bottom line is this: this should have never happened.

I know that the rules are different when an athlete endorses a company, especially when the athlete plays a team sport. Sometimes the presence of that player's current team will shine through in the ad campaign and other times (seemingly often) the players jersey is nondescript or washed out, like this:

But there are times when washing out the jersey or assuming people viewing the ad won't be able to tell isn't enough. Such is the case of two inappropriate billboards within a mile of Turner Field in Atlanta.

It has been more than six years since Tom Glavine abandoned the Braves for the greener cash of Flushing Meadows, NY and Shea Stadium. It's been fifteen years since Glavine helped spearhead the labor union strike that shook the foundation of men and boys alike around the nation (many of which claim to have not been fans of the game since).

The next chapter of betrayal for the one that they call "Tommy G" is not entirely his fault. Personally, I place blame completely and totally on the marketing people at AirTran Airways, who's hub, I might add is a mere seven mile trek down I-85/75 from Turner Field.

This is the billboard. There a few sligh variations, but all carry the same image. Tom Glavine. In a Mets jersey. Across the street from where the Atlanta Braves play their home games.

Maybe Glavine was bitter for being cut by the team earlier in the year. Maybe he just needed the money. I refuse to believe no one thought about it. People were paid thousands of dollars to design and pitch the ideas for this billboard. Nobody, perhaps one of the hundreds of AirTran employees in the Atlanta area, thought to say, "hey, this could perhaps be a bad move."??

I understand you cant really change the design fo a national ad campaign for one market. This just isn't practical. But Tom Glavine, in a Mets jersey, next to Turner Field should have never happened.

The Never Ending Saga.... Favre is BACK! I think... no he's not. Wait, is he? YES.

Brett Favre has come out of retirement AGAIN.

The story of Brett Favre's lack of decision making does not have an end, yet, another chapter. Favre has signed a 2-year $25 million contract with the Minnesota Vikings. Sorry Sage. Sorry Tavaris. Coach Childress appreciates your hard work, but he really doesn't care. I love Brett Favre, but what strikes my nerves a little bit about this whole ordeal is the fact that, in my opinion, the head coach undermined the entire team. Coach Childress should have come out and said that Brett was his quarterback whenever he decided to return. He didn't. Instead he claimed to "close the door" on the situation three weeks ago when Favre said he would remain retired. Coach Childress, while adding a hall of fame quarterback to his team, might have some making up to do with much of his team. He should have been straight forward with his guys, instead he took a huge risk.

I hope it works out. It's going to be fun watching #4 play on a playoff caliber team one more time. Oh, let's not forget-- he gets to play against Green Bay two times. Exciting stuff.

Vikings = NFC North Champs. Superbowl?

Word.

Vick Signs With Eagles..... Welcome back #7.

Michael Vick has signed a one year deal with the Philadelphia Eagles worth a reported $1.6 million with a team option in 2010 worth $5.2 million. The creditors are smiling. Oh, and so is Michael Vick.

So what happens now? What should we realistically expect out of the guy? Only time will tell, so let's talk in the moment. The signing itself is HUGE. Not only for the Eagles franchise but also for the NFL. A lot of people played an important role in the signing of the former Atlanta Falcon turned Leavenworth inmate. Sports television and radio have been on Michael Vick overload over the past 24 hours since the word of the signing spread. I haven't seen this much chatter since Michael Jackson passed away a couple of months ago. Opinions vary from excitement to outrage. It seems like many people across the nation have become somewhat emotionally involved with this story. Why? Because it involves man's best friend; dogs.

What Michael Vick did was sick, wrong, disgusting, pathetic, idiotic and just plain cruel. HOWEVER, it is time the give the man a chance at redemption. He has made many mistakes in his life and now has been given the chance to try and make something better of himself. It bothers me when people, PETA, attempt to sandbag the guy after the fact. His debt to society has been paid. Some would even argue that he has more than paid that debt (see Donte Stallworth). Moving forward, people and organizations should use this as a channel to teach children lessons, not try to run someone into the ground. Michael Vick seems matured. That sounds like an oxymoron and the ultimate judgment remains TBD. To have a guy like Tony Dungy in his corner and as a mentor definitely means something. Dungy is one of the most respected men in the NFL and possibly the world. Commissionar Goodell has also given the Eagles his blessing which is huge. We will never be able to forget the crimes he committed, but now we need to let actions speak louder than words. Michael Vick has the stage, let's see how it plays out.

Tony Dungy believes in him. So should you.

Welcome back #7. Hope you prove all of the doubters wrong.

Word.

New office pool: Over/Under 1.5 weeks that Vick flicks off Philly fans...I'm going under.

Everyone's favorite, dog-loving, No. 7 is back in the NFL. With the ever-classy Philadelphia Eagles. I see no way that this could go badly...



Finally a Super Bowl for Philly?[WDBJ7]

Round 2.... Can't Get Enough of this Guy!

This guy = coolest guy in the world!

A Must See.... Bristol, CT top notch security!

This guy brings me smiles everyday! Enjoy!

The one where Baum rants about the state of popular music ...

Once upon a time...music was free. Sure, records or albums or LPs or vinyl or 8-Tracks or whatever-you-want-to-call them always cost money. There were no mp3 players or smart phones to carry around months worth of songs in a pocket, but music was still accessible and cheap. Not only were albums affordable, but so were the concerts. Good, free music was everywhere. FM Radio was at it's peak and stations around the nation broadcasted unique shows that reflected the music of the region and the time.

In most industries; as the consumer adapts, so must the producer. If the customer wants something different, in a different way, it is the responsibility of the seller to adapt and change its ways in order to stay in business. The music industry is different or special (actually, it really just thinks it is). The media for listening to music has changed drastically. Hearing and playing music is something that is nearly totally technology driven. Changing technology changes how we listen to music more than changing technology affects how we eat a sandwich or jog.

The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) continues to hide behind public policy and copyright law in order to maintain industry profitability. Joel Tenenbaum (no relation) shared 30 songs online and will pay with what is essentially his economic life. $675,000.00 or $22,500 per song. That is the price he must pay regardless of how the songs were obtained. This is somehow to make sure the label/artist/producer/critic review/company janitor/doorman all get their dues. Everyone gets music on the Internet. One would think, using the basic economic path above, that the RIAA would use this medium to making a profit through sales and whatnot. Oh, well of course I can pay $1.29 for one song and avoid mortgaging the rest of my life. But in an economic crisis, shouldn't music be something that is accessible and affordable to all? Whatever happened to collective hope and optimism?

And don't kid yourself, there is no other way to listen to new music cheap and/or free. If you argue that there is always FM radio, then you haven't scanned through the stations in some time. There are fewer stations on the radio than their used to be and they are controlled by the same people! Clear Channel and Cumulus Media own over 1,000 radio stations just between themselves. Each station has a very restricted and limited playlist. Like owning the old-school iPod shuffle with about 40 songs on loop.

Satellite radio is awesome. But it is going to cost you over ten bucks a month. CDs can still be a thrill, but not only do prices continue to rise, there is no where to buy them. You can go to Wal-Mart for the latest and most popular and that's about it. Even Borders and Best Buy aren't tough to stump when looking for a lesser known artist/album and the cost is still going to run you about 20 dollars.

Concerts are still the best way to experience music. But the cost of the middle to top shows is astronomical. Tickets to the present tour for up-and-coming Kings Of Leon concert will run you near $40 for the cheapest seat. Along with $10 for parking and $20 if you want something to eat or drink, you are looking to spend quite a bit of money to sit behind a pole and listen to 2 hours of music.

It's easy to blame the artists, especially following Metallica's performance during the Napster trials. But no one can really blame the talent for looking to strike it big. Who is to blame? It isn't easy to say. The only thing that is safe to say is that a college student from Boston shouldn't have to make up the difference for the RIAAs inability to adapt to an industry that is being changed by the technology that provides it.

Don Mclean was wrong. The music didn't die. But it may be dying. And the scary thing is, the people who are killing also hold the power to save it. Will they?

The men on the other side of the radio.

It's something all sports fans will deal with in their lives. Their favorite sportscaster will retire, or worse, pass on. Often times a radio or TV announcer can become more to a fan than the actual team. The reasons for this are simple: players change, coaches change, management changes, stadiums and even team colors and logos will change, but often times the voice telling the stories of a favorite team will remain the same.

For Cubs fans nation wide, Harry Caray was the most integral part of the hard-luck team.

It is like a continuous book-on-tape with the same narrator. Football fans will spend every fall weekend afternoon tuned in to hear the tales of battle of their favorite team. Baseball fans, probably the passionate about their announcers, will have every day of summer and more narrated by a familiar voice (162 days is nearly a half a year). Even basketball and hockey fans will invite their long time friends on the TV or radio to their home over 80 times a year.

For a life long Atlanta sports fan, the intimacy of the fan/sportscaster relationship is at the forefront of my mind this week. It was one week ago last year that long time Braves announcer Skip Caray died before he could join the team for a West coast road trip. For the first 23+ years of my life, my family had invited a man into our home, car and living room 162 times a year. Next to my immediate family or close friends, I knew no voice better.

Later that year Skip's long time partner Pete Van Wieren announced his retirement. Shortly thereafter, voice of the Dogs Larry Munson decided to call it quits as well. It was as if the door to the past, my childhood even, wasn't being closed...it was slammed. I still recall falling asleep to Steve Holman calling the Hawks as Mookie Blalock would dump it into Mutombo down low, and now have to wonder how much longer he can go?

Munson decided to light a cigar on his stellar career last fall.

Phillies fans mourned the passing of Harry Kalas nationally and I could understand what they were going through. Every team in every market will have to go through it eventually, it is just something the sports fan cannot avoid.

It is a Catch-22, really. We loathe new voices and amatuers who don't know how to tell us the story of the game how we know it is supposed to be told. But we also dread the day that the voice we have become so accustomed to must move on, whether it be by choice or act of God.

Who are some of your favorite/memorable sportscaster and their stories?

Steroids.... the NONE issue.

I've been wanting to write this article for some time now, as it is quite controversial. Members of The Warehouse even got into a passionate argument over the weekend about this issue. I believe one member of The Warehouse called another member by the name "dumb f***." Now I don't condone that kind of language (even though I might have been the one who said it) but what I do condone is....... STEROIDS.

Ok, I don't really condone the use of steroids, but I don't care that professional athletes are using 'roids. Just think about it, nearly every single one of you sports fans out there has been 'crushed' by the fact that your favorite athlete has at some point in his career tested positive for a "performance enhanced drug." Wake up! Now what I'm about to tell you might bring back bad memories of when you found out that Santa Clause wasn't real (sorry kids)... but get your head out of your ass, YOUR FAVORITE ATHLETE HAS PROBABLY DONE STEROIDS. Obviously, I don't have bloody gauze from all of these athletes as proof, but common sense should be proof enough.

We live in a society where anyone and everyone does whatever it takes to get ahead. I.e; Enron, Martha Stewart, Bernie Madoff. Moving forward, common sense tells us that 99% of the athletes who have the chance to use the rage drug, will. If I could get my hands on some PED's, there's no doubt I would take them. Who wouldn't want to be bigger, stronger, faster, quicker, sexier?! In a profession like sports, you HAVE to try to get ahead of the game, by any means possible right? If not, you'll get cut. Period.

As for the state of sports today, the main reason why I don't care that people are using is the fact that EVERYONE is using, and it is in all sports. The fact that today we learned that Rashard Lewis, a basketball player, was suspended for 10 games for 'elevated testosterone' only furthers my point. Professional athletes have tested positive for PEDs in sports such as; football, baseball, basketball, track, swimming, rugby and heck even cycling. You'll probably sit there and argue that using steroids is cheating and that it is a competitive advantage.... blah blah blah.

Is it really a competitive advantage though? Look at it from this perspective; If Roger Clemens faced Barry Bonds, who has the advantage? They are both "cheaters," right?! Neither has an advantage, it is actually as level of a playing field as their can be. That is the reality of the last two/three decades of sports. Everyone is doing it, so are they really cheating? Instead of being bitter about it, appreciate what you are seeing. Regardless of how they are doing it, appreciate the fact that they ARE doing it. You may never see anything like it ever again. At the same time, you can still look back in history and appreciate all the things those guys did.

The game will get clean. Right now, the game ISN'T clean. Get over it. Enjoy sports for the beauty of them and the fun of them. Forget about steroids, it should be a none issue because it is a nonadvantage, at least for now. That's just the reality, sorry to shatter your world.

Steroids. Out.

Word.

P.S. I miss you Barry.

For those of you who appreciate soccer... Christiano Ronaldo... WOW.

How can you not appreciate this?

Word.

The Most Popular Sport In The United States is........... Soccer?!

Ok, so we all know this is obviously not the truth. But hear me out for a second.

Now, I do have to admit, this article might be a little biased as I played soccer nearly my entire youth. BUT I have this innate feeling that soccer is on the verge of blowing up in America. And no, that's not a joke.

Soccer will never compete with the NFL, at least here in the United States. But I think it seriously has the potential to compete with the NHL, NBA and maybe even MLB. For all of you soccer haters out there, I think you are hiding something. Come out of the figurative soccer closet and admit that it's really not all that bad. A great example of this is the recent success of the USA National team in the FIFA Confederations Cup. The US men's national team secured an outstanding upset of the #1 ranked team in the world, defeating Spain 2-0 in the semifinals. They moved on to face annual powerhouse Brazil as heavy underdogs in their first EVER finals appearance in a FIFA sanctioned tournament. They got off to a hot start and even took a 2-0 at halftime only to fall 3-2 at the end of the game.

With all of this being said, there was a sense of buzz throughout the sports world about, believe it or not, SOCCER BEING RELEVANT! As a lifetime soccer player, I enjoyed playing the game but I never really cared to watch it on TV. But now I have a larger sense of excitement for the game when it comes on TV than I ever have before, as do many fellow americans. What will it take for soccer to take off here? I'm not sure that can be answered with just one simple solution. I believe the biggest fuel to the fire will depend heavily on the performance of the US National team in the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. Just think about this, the entire nation got behind Michael Phelps in the Olympics last year as he went on to do something we have never seen before. If the men's soccer team goes on to exceed expectations and take the world by storm, will you really not watch? I'm willing to bet money you will, and you'll be cheering.

If this were to happen, it'll have a waterfall effect on the entire country. People will CARE. They won't care as much as they will about the NFL but that's not my point. My point is that it's not too crazy to think that more people will WANT to watch soccer. They will go by a jersey, go play FIFA (which is one of the greatest games of all time by the way) and they will talk about it at work. We've already seen more coverage than ever before, i.e. David Beckham in the MLS. Soccer will become relevant and that will boost our leverage to get premier players over to the states to play for the MLS clubs. It's a domino effect. Get some to come over, many will follow.

You just wait. Soccer IS on the verge. And when it does, you 'macho men' won't have to hide the fact that you've conformed to society and bashed soccer for years. You'll be able to live free and cheer hard for soccer here in America. It IS the most popular sport in the world.....

Only time will tell.

Word.

Brian St. Pierre hasn't taken a snap in six years...

and this is only two years more than Matt Leinart.

Leinart sinking? (Yahoo!)